++ Liars, "It Fit When I Was a Kid" (Mute): Liars made an
evolutionary leap between their first and second records. But the
distance between They Were Wrong So We Drowned and this new
single is more of a short hop, like going from Metal Box to Flowers of Romance. Since the forthcoming Liars album is called Drum's Not
Dead, it's little surprise that "It Fit When I Was a Kid" opens
with tom-toms pounding and deep voices chanting, not unlike "We
Fenced Other Houses..." from Drowned. But halfway through,
the song veers into probably the prettiest thing Liars have
ever done  as organ notes and falsetto voices rise in unison, the
dark procession through the woods reaches a clearing and the druids
gaze up at the heavens. (Stream the song or watch the video at Mute.com.)

Richie Spice, "Youths Are So Cold" (Massive B): Lots of good
conscious reggae making the rounds, from Jr. Gong's "Welcome to
Jamrock" to Vybz Cartel's "Why? Why?" This Richie Spice track over
the Truth and Rights riddim reached
the Billboard charts with its
indelible hook: "In the streets it's getting hot/ And the youths them-a get so
co-whoa-wold ..." Even better is the falsetto wail that ends
each verse on an almost ghostly note. (The Massive
B Records online catalog is
not too user-friendly, but you can stream a 30-second clip of "Youths
Are So Cold." Click the artist's name for Windows Media or the song
title for Real Audio.)

The Long Blondes, "Giddy Stratospheres" (What's Your Rupture?)
New York indie label What's Your Rupture? is on a roll, first bringing the Long Blondes to American ears and now about to release
the debut by Sweden's Love Is All. The Long Blondes EP,
compiling a couple of overseas singles by the all-female band from
Sheffield, England, ranges from doo-wop love songs ("Polly") to Franz
Ferd. jaggedness ("Autonomy Boy," "Darts"). But the best track is the
pop mini-movie of "Giddy Stratospheres," a love triangle involving a
guy, his frigid girlfriend, and a singer who wants a chance to show
the guy what he ought to be doing with his nights indoors. (Hint:
It's not calling mom.) (Stream "Giddy Stratospheres" from What's Your
Rupture?'s MySpace
page, or check out the Long Blondes' official site.)

The Strokes, "Juicebox" (RCA) In a recent graphic charting the
boom-and-bust cycle of buzz, New York magazine named the
Strokes' new single, "Juicebox," as a candidate for "backlash to the
backlash" status  it was so thoroughly pissed on by the
tastemakers, the theory goes, that the more "evolved" position is
actually to like it. Beg to differ  any way you spin it, this
sounds like the Stone Temple Pilots. The recently "leaked" video only
makes things worse, with its too-obvious satire (dumb morning zoo DJs
= bad) and halfhearted bid for shock value (dudes puking, girls
kissing, yawn). A huge letdown. (Watch the
"Juicebox" video in high-res QuickTime. For other formats go to the
Strokes' official
site and click on "Music.")

Jeff Tweedy, "He's Back, Jack" AKA "Whistling Jesus" (live) On
his latest solo acoustic tour, which recently made a pass through New
York, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy has been trying out a great new song slated
for the second album by Loose Fur, his side project with Jim O'Rourke
and Glenn Kotche. Even on first listen it sounds comfortably familiar
 I can still sing parts of it in my head two weeks after the show.
The lyrics, describing a somewhat, umm, inauspicious second coming,
are political without banging you over the head, and they come off
more funny than preachy, in a John Prine sort of way: "Well he's
back, jack, smokin' crack, find him if you wanna get found."